The Enlightenment
by CNJ
Summary: The 1st Friday in May marks the Enlightenment Retreat & Ceremony for all 7nth-year Hogwarts students, officially entering them into the adult wizard/witch community. 2 chapters. Complete!
1. The Enlightenment Retreat

Hii, thanks for all the great reviews I've been getting; never thought I'd get this many on some of my stories! Well, here's another one; this one is two chapters and takes place in early May of Harry and co.'s seventh year...it's the standard Enlightenment that all witches and wizards go through when they're seventeen or eighteen to mark their entrance into adulthood! With the Enlightenment Ceremony, they will become full-fledged sorcerers. Again, the usual disclaimers that characters, places, and events that HP fans recognize from the books belong to JK Rowling, not the current author. The Enlightenment does belong to the current author and has been copyrighted. Sooo, enjoy this latest story!   


  


**The Enlightenment**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**1: The Enlightenment Retreat**

**Harry**: 

The sky was a brilliant spring blue as my friends Cheria Radwin, Ron and Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger and I entered the Great Hall the first Friday in May. That was a good sign since today was our Enlightenment Retreat and tonight will be the official ceremony that would mark all of us seventh-years as legal adult sorcerers. Sitting at our table and chatting away along with the rest of Hogwarts School, we noticed a few parents and guardians had arrived early and were seated at a table at the far end of the Great Hall. Headmaster Dumbledore ninged on his glass and made the usual announcements, then added, "After breakfast, all seventh years line up by the North Entrance and Professors McGonagall and Gromer will lead you to the back wing of Hogwarts to begin your retreat. Let breakfast begin..."   
"It's one of our last breakfasts here," I said with a touch of sadness thinking over how we have just three more weeks here. In just three weeks, Cheria, Ron, Hermione, and I are graduating. Ginny is in her sixth year, so her turn is coming next year.   
"I know, it's hard to believe," Hermione added. Just then Neville Longbottom came rushing in and edged his way over to our table. He's also a seventh year and has been going with Ginny since November. Ginny moved over to make room for him to sit. Neville greeted us between pants and he and Ginny kissed lightly.   
"I just woke up from a bizarre dream," he told us, digging into his bangers and mash. "We were at the Ceremony, but it was outside and in the middle of the day and we were all on our brooms. We'd just been enlightened and Madame Hooch blew her whistle and all of us took off on our brooms. Mine wobbled and kind of looped around a bit and I panicked, then sat straight and after a few minutes my broom started flying normally. It kind of spooked me, reminding me of back in our first year...remember our first flying lesson when I kicked off too hard and my broom flew madly all over the place with me screaming my head off?" We all chuckled, remembering. Neville had wound up with a broken wrist and Madame Hooch had had to take him to the hospital wing.   
"We've come a long way since then," Ron mused. "Remember my first try at lifting the broom and the broom smacked my nose?" He laughed some and I had to blush, remembering how foolishly I'd giggled. Ron and I had been more competitive and insecure then and when I'd giggled, Ron had glowered at me and told me to shut up. I didn't blame him.   
"From the first up to today..." Hermione said softly. "The years went by so fast, yet so much happened and we changed and matured so much." We sure have. Looking at my friends, I recall the image of Ron and Hermione as fellow first-years...Ron had always been tall, but he used to be ganglier and back then he was more insecure...all of us had been. Hermione, I'll never forget how she'd first poked her head into our compartment on that first trip on the Hogwarts Express and asked about Neville Longbottom's lost toad. She's always been very gregarious and back then we'd thought she was a bit mental, chattering away about little facts she'd read about in books and articles. She also used to be very skinny, but now has rounded and filled out more and her dark hair has even become darker and thicker. Cheria had come in our fourth year, but we really didn't hang about her until around our fifth year and she too had grown quite a bit. Ginny has also grown a lot; she used to be short, skinny, and rather gawky, but now has matured and filled out and is now as tall as I am, about five-six. Neville used to be awkward and rather chubby, but has grown taller, almost as tall as Ron, who is six-one.   
As I finished eating and thinking about this, I look down at myself briefly, something I'm not accustomed to doing. I used to be very short, scrawny, and bony with knobbly knees, but people tell me that while I'm still very slender, my body is not as bony as it used to be, my legs have grown much longer, and my knees have lost their knobbliness. People tell me my movements have gotten slower and more graceful. When I first began at Hogwarts, I'd been a short four-six and a weak fifty-seven pounds. Now I'm about five-six and the last checkup I had in January told me that I'd finally broken the hundred-pound mark and was now a hundred and ten. I'm still not very strong physically and thanks to a nasty cold and cough I'd had about two weeks ago, my soft, deep voice now sounds thicker, but I have grown lots in other ways, mainly discovering more about my parents and discovering that I'd inherited Mum's talent for music. Once we finished eating, we gathered by the North Entrance in the back foyer outside the Great Hall. As we headed out to the courtyard and around the huge North Moat, I peered down once again at my legs and saw that now my legs really were graceful...almost like a deer or a dancer. We went to the back of the huge castle and wound up in a seldom-used wing to begin our retreat. The first activity was an opening chant while we lit candles, then we sang several songs about being responsible adult witches and wizards.   
"Welcome to the seventh-year Enlightenment Retreat," McGonagall told us softly over the floating candles. With a wave of her wand, the high ceiling turned light blue like the sky outside, but lit up with stars and the moon. It was really lovely. She handed out parchments and had us write a letter to ourselves as if it were ten years from now, then drop it into a small box she had up front. It was so quiet the next hour, the crickets could be heard outside as well and squeaks of old wood and bricks. As I wrote, I listened to these sounds and they became very precious to me, especially the castle noises. It felt weird to be addressing myself. What was I going to be like ten years from now, when I was twenty-seven? I certainly hope I'd have a music career established, either playing in an orchestra or teaching. Would I either be married or have kids or both? I'm so glad I found a love of music because it's given me several career goals to strive to. Because I'd began bariol and violin training as a teenager, I'd been certain that I'd never really catch on, but my aunt reassured me that with lots of practice and with my natural raw talent, I should become proficient enough to make a career out of music. Either way, I plan to teach music if being part of an orchestra doesn't pan out. I still love Quidditch, but I don't want to go into it professionally, especially since I know the competition's really tight and often cutthroat.   
Looking at my letter a minute, I finished it with, ..._and Harry, be sure you protect not only your own dreams, but the dreams of others as well_. Good luck. I folded it up and placed it into the box, the parchment rustling softy. I sat and waited for the others to finish. Once we all finished, some of us told the group what we'd put in. Then we moved on to other activities like reflecting where we'd been and thinking over what we thought had been our biggest accomplishment so far. Some of the things used magical means; others were non-magic. The morning deals were all four houses in one room doing these together. Once lunch came, McGonagall told us we'd eat outside by the small back lake and could even take a swim afterwards. Then we'd have meditation hour outside, then we'd split into our respective houses and share more reflections.   
Outside was definitely warm and many of us had brought swim robes and suits. We ate a ton of food, mostly fruits and even a cool basket of chicken wings. Now, I know some people don't like the idea of cold meat, but to me, it was swell.   
"Heyyy, look, the maples and hyacinths are blooming!" Cheria pointed. They sure were. Many of the trees had started to bud this week.   
"Look, there're tulips by the lake, " I gushed as we headed toward the water after eating. I winced slightly at the somewhat strange thickness of my voice. I still do that sometimes; I just haven't gotten used to the way my voice was affected my that cold. On top of that, I still cough occasionally. "I wonder if it's safe for me to go in..." I muttered as my friends dipped in.   
"Of course it is..." Ron called, already floating on his back in the smooth surface. "It's what...a few meters deep and Professors McGonagall and Gromer are with us...anyway, McGonagall was once a lifeguard the summer she was seventeen."   
"Oh...wow, I didn't know," Hermione put in. "Where did you hear that?"   
"My brother Bill overheard her talking once with an old friend of hers, in fact, she used to be the Headmistress here before Professor McGonagall...Vivian Pierce," Ron supplied before he took a dive into the lake and flipped.   
"It's not what I'm worried about..." I sat on the edge, took off my shoes and dipped my feet into the water. The water was actually warm. "I just had that cold...remember back when we came back from our States trip a few weeks ago?"   
"You'll be all right," Hermione told me. "Actually, people get sick from being exposed to the germs, not by getting wet or cold."   
"I guess..." I slid slowly in. "God, this feels good." Most of the seventh years were in the water by then and I even saw McGonagall and Gromer come toward the water in swimming gear. It's been ages since I actually dipped into a lake for a swim.   
"Anyone up for Marco Polo?" Lavender Brown asked with a mischievous grin.   
"NOOOO!" Most of us chimed.   
"Figured not..." Lavender grinned.   
"What's..." I coughed once. "Marco Polo? I mean besides the explorer?" Ron also looked puzzled, so I could see that he'd never heard of it either.   
"It's a silly game some muggles play in a swimming area," Hermione told us. "Something like...a person who's it yells _Marco_... and the others call back _Polo_ and I guess the person who's it has to tag someone else or something. I never did fully understand how the game went." It did sound like an odd sort of tag game.   
A whistle blew in the distance, so we knew our swim hour was over. All of us scrambled out of the water, grabbed our wands and dried off, then put our robes back on over our swim clothes. It was now meditation hour. We were to go individually to various quiet areas of Hogwarts grounds and reflect quietly on whatever our minds took us to. There was even a small room where we could magic various weather patterns to fit the room around us.   
"In one hour, I will summon all of you back," McGonagall told us as she handed out summoners to each of us. "So don't stray too far. Enjoy the meditation." She smiled at us and she and Gromer headed toward the wooded area. Slowly all of us dispersed. I think some seventh-years headed back to their dorms to meditate, while others went into the woods, some went into the Quidditch field, and others went inside to various rooms in the castle. I myself went inside a minute, then on an inspiration, ran to my dorm room, grabbed my Firebolt, then went back out back again and quietly flew up above the budding trees high in the sky, as high as I dared. I hadn't been on a broom since February when I injured my shoulder in a Quidditch match. Now here I was, floating high above the school and the grounds. I wobbled a bit, then steadied myself. I whispered a spell to hold my broom still and let my mind wander. A soft wind blew and I coughed a few times as I watched a few clouds float across the sky. Like time passing by in our lives, I thought.   
Looking over the castle and grounds, I was touched by the beauty of the place, really saw it for the first time in a long time. _Ohhh_, I mouthed, my emotions rising up and threatening to overwhelm me. It was a fight not to sap about right here, but I almost did. All right, so one discovery I've made about myself in these past seven years is that I am sensitive. There I admit it. It's not something I really like about myself, but I'm beginning to accept it. I've learned that high sensitivity does have its blessings, however as my great-aunt Miranda has told me. One of the blessings is that I tend to notice beauty like these clouds much more than most people. Miranda also told me that I've inherited that high sensitivity from Mum along with my knack for music and that sensitivity has sharpened my music talent greatly. So, I guess thinking now, I am somewhat grateful I have this trait. Last Christmas, I got a book called _The Highly Sensitive Person_ and I read it. It spooked me at first because many of the traits and problems described did sound like me...I'm very sensitive to pain; I pick up on subtle things in my surroundings that others won't notice; I notice when someone's distressed; I'm frightened of some things that don't seem to frighten others; I love works of art, whether it's writing, music, or drawings and paintings.   
I think back to how in my early childhood, I felt something was weird about me, but couldn't figure it out. Until I was a year and three months, I had parents, who were very dear. If only I could really remember them. It often saddens me that I can't. Then my parents were killed by an evil powerful wizard, Tom Riddle, leaving me orphaned. Tom would have killed me too, but Mum had poured her love into me by a spell and I'd survived the attack with an ugly scar on my forehead. Unfortunately, my dad's aunt, my great-aunt Miranda had been hit with a memory-loss charm, so she couldn't claim me, so I'd been sent to other relatives, muggle relatives, the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon put in a false claim, claiming to be my only family, so I'd been put on the Dursley's doorstep and my mum's sister, Petunia had screamed when she saw me there that cold November morning sixteen years ago. The Dursleys along with their spoiled son Dudley had felt very threatened by witches and wizards, so they tried to make sure I stayed in a one-down position with them. I guess they didn't understand me because they weren't very accepting and often ridiculed me and my parents, which had hurt deeply. Since I didn't remember my parents, they'd told me that they'd died in a car crash.   
I was often made fun of in school, started wearing glasses when I was five, was withdrawn and considered odd. It went on until I was eleven and about to start secondary school...then I received my Hogwarts letter and Hagrid, the huge gamekeeper of Hogwarts had come to pick me up. My life had changed for the better, except for summers when I still had to stay with the Dursleys, who were becoming worse. Then things snapped the summer I turned fifteen. I was still suffering from the traumatic death of one of my classmates, Cedric Diggory and going through the worst of puberty with my voice cracking and my body changing rapidly. Uncle Vernon had started badmouthing my parents and I told him to stop and we'd wound up in a fistfight with him nearly beating the liver out of me, since he was ten times larger than I was. I'd run away in desperation that night and stayed in the streets for a few days until Hagrid found me. By good luck, Miranda had her memory back and was looking for me, so I got to stay with her for the holidays. She's been so good to me, very loving and has filled me in on so much that I needed to know about my parents.   
Bit by bit, I realized how much I'd be affected by things, more so than others...third year, dementers...horrid, sightless, skeletal creatures had guarded the school and while they affected the minds of everyone who got too close to them, I'd passed out often at the sight of them. Once I'd fallen off my broom in a Quidditch game at the sight of them and in another encounter, I'd ended up in tears. It had been really embarrassing. There had been a wonderful Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher back then, Remus Lupin, who'd given me a few spells and tips to minimize their effects. I think he knew how sensitive I was, but was too kind to humiliate me further by saying it out loud right in class. I swallowed suddenly, feeling a deep pang pull at my heart, remembering his death last year in an incident where several Hogwarts students were kidnapped via floo powder and he'd helped a group of us rescue them, dying in the process. It's hard to believe he's been dead a year now. I made a mental note to visit his memorial site by the huge lake before leaving Hogwarts for good.   
My mind also wandered over the final defeat of Tom Riddle...last November at a Gryffindor retreat. All of us Gryffindors had suspected Tom was lurking in the woods at our retreat site of Quarry Grounds and decided to confront him once and for all since we'd feared that he was going to kill us all; after all he was out to kill anyone even associated with the Gryffindor family, including Gryffindor students. We'd formed a circle around him and chanted all the good side spells and songs we could think of...until he'd dissolved into ashes. What a feat it had been since he had been a menace to the magical community of London for many years. The Gryffindor house had earned ten thousand points for that and the entire wizard/witch area of England along with Hogwarts had celebrated hugely for days...and with that defeat, my scar had vanished. I looked over north in the direction of Quarry Grounds, remembering that fateful retreat. I'll never forget that windy night when we realized he was gone for good and the bellows and cheers that went echoing through the woods and the elation we all felt. I reached up and felt where my scar used to be. It feels so good to just feel smooth skin instead of a rough jagged line.   
I heard a soft peal of thunder in the distance and realized that clouds were filling the sky. Thunder is really a rare thing in England, even in the summer. I hoped the rain would hold off a while longer. We still had twenty minutes before we'd be summoned back. I reflected more...my friends and how fortunate I am to have them...various teachers, my great-aunt and how lucky I am to have her. I really am going to miss her in the fall when I leave for college. Just three more weeks and one more summer. In fact, academically, I'd just about completed my required assignments and all I needed to do was take the final exams. I'd take them next week, I remembered. I'd really studied like mad this year since I wanted to get into a good college. I guess it paid off since I'm headed to Andrews and Wallace Arts College this fall. I'm so glad I know what I want to do; I never wanted to be just drifting along in life not knowing what I want.   
Just then, the summoner sounded, so I flew back down, landed and went over to where the others were gathering. I guess the rain decided to hold off for now because the sun was coming out again. Next activity was splitting into our houses for something house-related. The Gryffindors went into one large room with a high-domed clear ceiling and open windows. The other three houses went into other parts of the wing. I wasn't sure what the other houses were doing, but the Gryffindors, chatting among ourselves sat in a circle on the floor. Just then Professor McGonagall announced, "All of you have mail..." and put on some soft music on a CD player I hadn't seen. Owls came pouring in, dropping letters for each of us. Mine had Aunt Miranda's address on it, then I got one for Sirius. Along with Miranda's there seemed to something else tucked inside. All around I could hear gasps and some sniffles all around. I opened mine and one second later, I knew why kids around me were crying...because I was from just reading the loving words my dear, dear aunt had to say.   
"Oh, M-Mum..." I heard Ron catch his breath and saw tears streaking down his face. Beside me, Hermione wept as she read her letter. So did Cheria. Tears spilled down my own face faster than I could wipe them away. Taking a shuddery breath, I went on to read my godfather's letter...ohhh, it was sooo full of love! _You have been blessed with a strong character and a heart of gold_. _We are so fortunate and proud to have you as part of our lives_... both of them had penned. That made me cry harder and I had to take off my glasses and reach for tissues, the boxes that had been put in the middle of the floor. I bumped hands with several of my housemates and several shaky laughs went up. I blew my nose, took a big swipe at me eyes, and hoped I could see well enough to read the other letter...the one Miranda had saved from Mum and Dad. Once my tears took a short break and I had some semblance of vision, I pulled out my parents' letter...my long-lost dear parents...I barely got halfway through before I went as mushy and wet as a merperson. God, their words of love moved me like no one ever had. I had to take off my glasses and hold tissues to my face, I wouldn't drip all over the letter. Finally, I wound up holding it upward, my tears dribbling backward into my hair.   
"G-good idea..." Neville told me shakily from where he was struggling not to drip his tears all over his grandmother's loving letter. He also tipped his head back and finished reading his letter.   
"Oh, God..." "I n-never figured th-their love w-was this deep..." "Mer-Merlin, mi-mi-my heart is overflowing..." were some of the teary, shaky comments that rose up. I myself was too overwhelmed to speak, so I took shaky breaths. Occasionally a deep sob wracked me and I didn't even try to put my glasses back on until I'd be sure that my flood of tears had at least slowed. I hugged the letters to my chest and bawled more. The strange thing is, I didn't feel that embarrassed about my tears as I usually do when I weep in front of others; maybe it was because everyone else was crying too.   
"Sooo...isn't it very touching when you know how much you're loved by your parents and guardians?" McGonagall told us softly.   
"Yeah..." "Merlin's it is..." Some of us offered comments, still shaky or high with tears.   
"It kind of..." Hermione put in, her voice still somewhat high with tears. "I know my parents love me, but just to see them pour their hearts out..." Fresh tears spilled over her face. "It's just gets your heart..."   
"I never thought written w-words..." Ron added, wiping his eyes. "C-c-could h-have this effect...on m-me." He snuffled and grabbed more tissues.   
"M-me either..." I added a bit hoarsely. "Aunt Miranda and Sirius are so d-dear and kind...they saved my parent's l-letters..." I felt a fresh catch in my throat. The catch climaxed into a squeeze, then sort of felt like a burst as fresh tears rolled down my face and I had to grab more tissues. There was more crying to do, so we sat for a long time, talking and waiting for our tears to slow. Hermione and I hugged and wept some more. Some students went up and hugged McGonagall. The day was coming to a close, so slowly we stood and got ready to do one more thing, then head back for dinner. On the way out, I thought over how McGonagall was the steady rock of Hogwarts, the disciplinarian, yet loving and nurturing at the same time. I'd miss so much about Hogwarts next year, and she was one teacher I'd miss so much, especially since she was one of my favorite teachers. Impulsively, I reached out and gave her a huge hug. She hugged back. It felt so good to feel her arms around me. She felt as warm as I'd always suspected. _I love you so, so much_..._I_ mouthed, closing my eyes and choking up again.   
"I love you too, Harry..." she whispered. "I feel lucky to have taught a wonderful person as you." We slowly parted and along with the others, headed on back. As we went through our last activity, then headed to dinner, I thought about how much freer I've been lately, especially the past year. I guess I was guarded and in a shell before, but now in a supportive environment, I'd come out of it more. I wondered if others felt the same way, especially my friends. I had a feeling that they had. Maybe I could work up the courage to ask them about it.   
  
  
  


More later! Next and final chapter will be...the Enlightenment Ceremony itself! Stay tuned! 


	2. The Enlightenment Ceremony

**The Enlightenment**

_By_: CNJ 

_PG-13_

**2: The Enlightenment Ceremony**

**Harry**: 

"Hello, dear!" Aunt Miranda greeted as we hugged outside the Great Hall later on that night before the Enlightenment Ceremony.   
"Hello, Auntie..." I said softly. "Thank you for the lovely letter..." Sirius joined us and hugged me also. The other parents and guardians had arrived and families stood around the Great Lobby, talking and hugging. Everyone was wearing dress robes for the occasion. I looked down at my own red robe with gold trim and smiled softly. I saw Hermione with her parents and younger sister, Aileen and we exchanged waves.   
"Haaarry!" Two voices called from down the hall. I looked around in bewilderment a minute, vaguely thinking that the voices sounded familiar, then spotted Ron's older twin brothers, Fred and George heading down the hall.   
"Oh...hello..." I called. "How's adulthood treating you?"   
"Not too shabby," Fred told me. They've just finished their second year of college and when they graduate, they intend to open up a joke shop in Diagon Alley. As they approached, I introduced them to Auntie and Sirius.   
"Pleased to meet you..." they greeted.   
"Harry's told me some wonderful things about the two of you," Miranda put in. We talked some more, doing some catching up, me telling the twins that I was headed to Andrews and Wallace Art College in the fall. Just then, the talking hushed as McGonagall came out and we knew it was time to enter the Great Hall and let the ceremony begin.   
"Welcome to the Enlightenment Ceremony of Hogwart's Class of Two Thousand and Five," McGonagall announced, her multi-colored dress robe changing color every so often. "Tonight, these young women and men will become official adult sorcerers and take their places in the adult wizard/witch community..." McGonagall spoke for a few more minutes about the responsibilities and privileges of adulthood. Several students _yeehaa'_d softly at the knowledge that we'd legally be able to apparate on our own. Several teachers spoke after, including Madame Hooch and Professor Gromer. Then it was time to line up to be enlightened. Each of the houses lined up alphabetically to be enlightened by the head of that house. Since McGonagall is the head of the Gryffindor House, she stood at the front of the Gryffindor line. Our parents and guardians stood with each of us. The actual enlightening procedure is that your parent or guardians are supposed to stand behind you and as you go up to whoever your enlightener is, they touch your shoulder lightly and the enlightener says a chant that officially marks you as an adult sorcerer. That chant is entered into witch/wizard records and entered into their count of sorcerers for the city. As we lined up and Miranda and Sirius got behind me, I saw that several of my classmates were crying softly, including Lavender and the Patil twins. Near the end, I even saw Ms. Weasley tearing up as she stood behind her son. The line moved slowly, but gracefully. My turn came and I was the one standing in front of McGonagall. I had to swallow at the thought that this was _it_. Smiling, she waved her wand as I felt Miranda and Sirius's warm hands touch my shoulders.   
"By my own powers, I now add and welcome you as an adult wizard in the community. May all good spirits be with you, Harry," McGonagall chanted. Sparkles came out of her wand and I felt a brief glow. _Thank you_, I mouthed, closing my eyes a second. There...I was now enlightened. My heart was still pumping away as my guardians and I sat. Oh, I couldn't believe I was officially and adult sorcerer! Several cameras snapped and a few parents even had camcorders. Sirius snapped a couple of pictures as well. I smiled softly at them, then watched Ron be enlightened, then the last of the students. There were only three more after Ron. Once the last student sat, claps and cheers rose from the audience. We students also added some bellows of our own. There were a few more speeches, including one from Dumbledore, welcoming us into the adult wizard/witch community. Then group of wizards and witches from a band sang an enlightenment song, a really lovely one about the good spirits consecrating our souls and bringing us love and goodness and about wanted to spread that love around. I felt myself choke up slightly and briefly put my hand to my mouth, afraid I'd break down blubbering right here. I even felt my thick brows tighten. But I didn't, thank Merlin. Then it was time for the post-enlightenment gathering. We headed to the back tables where food was piled and ate and talked. Miranda and Sirius met me again and we talked and also mingled with other parents.   
"Merlin, I can't believe I'm an adult," Ron told me as Miranda chatted with Molly Weasley.   
"Me either," I swallowed a grape nearly whole. Hermione, Cheria, and Ginny joined us and we stood eating and listening to our parents talk.   
"Two more years and it'll be Aileen's turn," Hermione's mum stroked her younger daughter's hair, which is the same color as Hermione's.   
"They grow so fast," Cheria's mum put in.   
"Seems so long ago, yet yesterday that I was singing to little Harry along with Lily and James," Miranda added. I blushed slightly at the thought of me as a baby in diapers. But it is wonderful thought that Miranda was there along with my parents. If only they could have been here tonight, I thought. Miranda seemed to sense my thoughts and stroked my thick black hair, so much like hers.   
"I...wish they could be here tonight," I voiced out loud.   
"Me too, darling..." Miranda said softly. "They would be proud to see how wonderfully their son's turned out. How well I remember their enlightenment ceremony."   
"What was it like?"   
"Lovely like tonight." Miranda told me. "But there was the shadow of Voldemort's rising over it, so it was a bit sober as well." I nodded. Miranda had told me that Tom Riddle, who also went by Voldemort, had first made himself known in my mum and dad's fourth year. Mum and her two close friends had been at Hogsmeade in late May of that year along with several classmates and death eaters had attacked, killing two students and several others. Then Voldemort had apparated briefly there, then when aurors finally turned up, he'd disapparated quickly. Some of the death eaters had been caught then, but not enough. Voldemort had continued to gather followers and along that, strength. Very similar to what I went through at the end of my fourth year, I thought. Voldemort had made himself known again by tricking me and a classmate of mine, Cedric Diggory into portkeying into a graveyard. He'd killed Cedric right in front of me and sucked some of the blood from him and my arm. I'd been traumatized by that experience just like my mum had been at the end of her fourth year. My personality is similar to my mum's, Miranda and Mum's friend, Amelia Kovacs has told me. Amelia is a medic at Hogsmeade Medical Center and occasionally does visits to Hogwarts. Mum also had a lot of similar experiences to me as well. It feels good having that link to Mum. Even though they can't replace my parents, Miranda and Sirius are the closest things to parents that I have and I feel lucky to have them in my life. Now we're ready for a new phase in life; my friends and I are on the threshold of young adulthood. I know I was just about ready. The last step was graduation, then we'd launch into adulthood in the fall.   


_2003 Storyline Copyright by_ **CNJ**


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